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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · tube · staff · hand · mate · season · coach · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — of the year
  4. tube — a container
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bass — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. staff — a stick
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com